This book introduces Joel’s PVI-model of advancing your career; (1) Actively promote yourself as an asset and valuable person inside the organization (perception), (2) Increase your visibility to gain others’ recognition and appreciation for your efforts and (3) Become a person of influence who makes key decisions inside the organization. Our focus during Tuesday’s chat will be on Influence.

As a taste of what’s inside the book, Joel talks here about the influence Vince Lombardi had on the losing Green Bay Packers when he took over as coach in 1959:

“Just as Coach Lombardi was able to overcome his own obscurity to turn a downtrodden franchise into one of the best football teams of all time, you, too, can transform your role and initiate your impact. You can set the right tone, establish commitment, create buy-in, and influence change. An organization’s true leaders are the individuals who leverage their influence to make change. The key is being committed to excellence. Vince Lombardi didn’t stand for just being good – and neither should you. The next level in your success is possible, but you must be willing to take the leap, assume the risks, and have courage. You must be ready to make your impact known by being the influential person you are capable of being.” (p. 188)

One of Joel’s interesting theses in the book is that it is not enough to demonstrate performance – you must also actively manage your PVI. How people perceive you, how visible you are in the organization – these are all strategic elements in advancement.

So, join me and my lovely co-host, Lisa Petrilli, as we welcome Joel as our guest on Tuesday, January 31st. Perhaps a few gems shared about exercising influence will help you in Getting Ahead in your career!

So, Google has now introduced a new feature in search, whereby you not only search the public web, but can view results from your Google+ network.

Good on ’em. I hope they keep experimenting, keep evolving. Some stuff Google has tried has failed; other approaches have taken off. Google’s DNA has this feature: no status quo. Push forward.

This new feature will stick if it provides long-term value. If not, they can just turn it off (and you do have a show/hide switch to toggle if you wish).

People may be tempted to moan that Google is monkeying with their main “search” brand by introducing personal results. But Google isn’t primarily a search engine anymore. They’re an information, aggregation, communication, and experimentation company.

I was having a lively phone conversation yesterday with Alli Worthington, the force-of-nature behind Blissdom and too many other things to list.

Her philosophy behind the Blissdom conference? To paraphrase: We just bring great people together and see what happens. Not that there isn’t structure and clear direction – there is – but there’s also an existential element of anticipated goodness that can’t be predefined.

Huh. In fact, it’s a business model I seek to practice, but I never quite heard it put that way before. It doesn’t sound like a business model, does it? But what it is is creating an opportunity-generating and entrepreneur-encouraging environment. And there’s a lot of potential business in that!

Then, for LeadershipChat last night, we enjoyed having Carrie Wilkerson (The Barefoot Executive) as our guest host (<—book review at link). Carrie, who encourages people to start their own businesses (the best job security we’ll know!), was giving a lot of helpful advice to the people who gather at the Tuesday night LeadershipChat – which gathering, it struck me afresh, has a very similar philosophy. We just bring great people together and see what happens.

So, as you think about your own business, and your opportunities, I have a fresh line of thought for you. Can you be a tribe-builder? Can you bring great people together and help create a fertile environment for business growth? Can you look past the idea of some company providing a growth vector for you, and begin to till your own land in order to make new things happen for you and others?

Carrie has recently released a book called, not surprisingly, The Barefoot Executive(Amazon link), and it’s a winner. Of course, part of the reason I loved this book so much is that we’re both on the same wavelength, desiring to see more people find professional fulfillment by starting a business and becoming their own boss.

Another thing that I appreciate about this book is its straightforward simplicity. The chapters are brief, to the point, and include practical examples (plus transcripts of video lessons that are also available on-line). Carrie has a cheerleader personality, and her encouragement shines through in the book, but there is also a very realistic, step-by-step approach being advocated. Nice combination.

My video review of The Barefoot Executive is below:

Carrie has plenty to share with us on Tuesday night, January 10 (8 pm ET) – just hop onto Twitter and follow the #LeadershipChat hashtag (hint: it’s easier when you use a chat client like Tweetchat.com). Join me, my lovely and talented co-hostLisa Petrilli, and a whole host of smart and engaging people as we discuss the topic of Being Your Own Boss. Look forward to seeing you then!

I’m a solopreneur. But I’m never alone. Why? My influencers – one of the great benefits of social networks.

Yesterday – as I have done regularly in the past – I had a question about one of my business approaches. I was able to reach out to a handful of trusted advisers – quality people like Tom Martin, Jay Baer, Greg Hartle, Tom Clifford, and others – and immediately get very valuable feedback. They’re part of my brain trust (which also includes many women, by the way – wonderful collaborators like Lisa Petrilli, Meghan Biro, Jane Chin, Jeanne Male, and more).

These are people that help me get smarter and gain clarity. Friends with whom there is a history of shared perspectives and collaboration. Friends. And they all know the door swings both ways.

You’re undoubtedly a smart person. But you’re much smarter with a brain trust – an inner circle of informal advisers who are not mere avatars or Klout superstars. These are the influencers that matter.

You can use social networks to build an audience. That has value. But where is your greatest value going to be? That’s right – the handful of fellow travelers who are on the same path as you, picking you up when you stumble and sharing the vistas together.

Who are your influencers? And who counts you as a valued friend and collaborator? Build your inner circle and the rest will take care of itself. Trust me on this one.